The Daring Pastel Eye Look You Need to Try This Spring

A smoky eye might seem an odd choice for spring, but at the Armani spring 2014 show, where it was shown in shimmery greens and gleaming violets, it looked fresh and incredibly feminine. The shadows were a new sort of pastel—intense, vibrant and full of glamour.

Influenced by Monet’s watercolors—not to mention the efflorescent clothes—Giorgio Armani Beauty international makeup artist Linda Cantello made the bold look more delicate (and easier to do) by smoothing on the shadow with her fingers. “I applied the color underneath—like a reverse smoky eye—to make it softer and shy,” she says.

Cantello blended the pigments with a touch of liquid highlighter to create creamier texture and finished with a light dusting on the upper lid—no mascara. Inspired, we’ve been experimenting with every sort of pastel, from Armani’s chic, finely milled pale green to a chunky-sparkly wet/dry pink from Stila that could not be more fun to wear—truly, you might say, beyond the pale.